System and method for distributing and processing discount coupons

ABSTRACT

A system for dispensing and redeeming electronic discount coupons in a store. A card-dispensing collects information from a customer and subsequently issues a &#34;smart card&#34; for storing electronic coupons. Upon completion of shopping, the customer redeems the electronic coupons at the checkout area, by inserting the card into the checkout station. During checkout, when UPC product data corresponds to coupons stored on the card, the customer is credited with the value of the corresponding coupon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to an electronic retail system and,more particularly, to a system and method for distributing andprocessing discount coupons.

2. Description of Related Art

Discount coupons are a popular means to stimulate sales of products suchas grocery store items. In 1992, approximately 310 billion coupons weredistributed and 7.7 billion coupons were redeemed, saving customers $4billion. It has been estimated that in-store couponing coupled withadvertising increases sales by 544%.

A typical marketing scheme involves placing coupons in a newspaper, byprinting the coupons in the newspaper or by inserting coupon insertsinto the newspaper, and allowing customers to bring the printed couponsto a store for redemption. One problem with this scheme is that theredemption rate is typically only a few percent of the coupons printed,the unredeemed coupons representing an overhead associated with thisscheme. To alleviate this overhead, another marketing scheme involvesdistributing the coupons in the store, thereby avoiding the cost ofprinting coupons in a newspaper, and capitalizing on the fact that 66%of buyer decisions are made at the time of product purchase. Both thein-store scheme and the newspaper scheme, however, are susceptible tofraud by an unscrupulous retailer that requests reimbursement paymentsby presenting unredeemed coupons to the clearing house. Other schemesinclude delivering coupons to customers through the mail, distributingcoupons in or on the product package, and distributing coupons atcheckout. All of these schemes have an overhead cost of handling thecoupons and of sending the redeemed coupons to a clearing house toenable product manufacturers to reimburse retailers for the reduction inproceeds resulting from coupon redemptions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a convenient andstimulating shopping environment, having relatively low overhead.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a discountingsystem that does not generate paper waste.

To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, a systemcomprises a plurality of products; a dispenser including a plurality ofportable cards each having a random access memory (RAM), means forreceiving a first signal characterizing a customer, a mechanism forejecting one of the cards from the dispenser, the ejected card storing arespective second signal, and means for storing an association betweenthe first signal and the second signal; a checkout area including meansfor receiving a plurality of third signals from the RAM of the ejectedcard, each third signal corresponding to a product, means for receivinga fourth signal corresponding to a product, and means for determining aprice depending on whether the fourth signal corresponds to one of thereceived third signals.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a system comprisesa plurality of products; a dispenser including a plurality of portablecards each having a random access memory (RAM), means for receiving afirst signal characterizing a customer, an electronic display, means forselecting a plurality of products by detecting a selection of locationson the display, means for sending a plurality of second signals to theRAM of a card in the plurality of cards, the second signalscorresponding to the selected products, a mechanism for ejecting thecard from the dispenser, the ejected card storing a respective thirdsignal, and means for storing an association between the first signaland the third signal; and a checkout area including means for receivingthe plurality of second signals from the RAM of the ejected card, meansfor receiving a fourth signal corresponding to a product, and means fordetermining a price depending on whether the fourth signal correspondsto one of the received second signals.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, in a systemincluding a plurality of products, a dispenser including a plurality ofportable cards each having a random access memory (RAM), and a checkoutarea, a method of operating the system comprises the steps, performed inthe dispenser, of receiving a first signal characterizing a customer;rejecting one of the cards from the dispenser, the ejected card storinga respective second signal; and storing an association between the firstsignal and the second signal, and the steps, performed in the checkoutarea, of: receiving a plurality of third signals from the RAM of theejected card, each third signal corresponding to a product; receiving afourth signal corresponding to a product; and determining a pricedepending on whether the fourth signal corresponds to one of thereceived third signals.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, in a systemincluding a plurality of products, a dispenser including a display, aplurality of portable cards each having a random access memory (RAM),and a checkout area, a method of operating the system comprising thesteps, performed in the dispenser, of receiving a first signalcharacterizing a customer; selecting a plurality of products bydetecting a selection of locations on the display; sending a pluralityof second signals to the RAM of a card in the plurality of cards, thesecond signals corresponding to the selected products; ejecting the cardfrom the dispenser, the ejected card storing a respective third signal;and storing an association between the first signal and the thirdsignal, and the steps, performed in the checkout area, of receiving theplurality of second signals from the RAM of the ejected card; receivinga fourth signal corresponding to a product; and determining a pricedepending on whether the fourth signal corresponds to one of thereceived second signals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a retail system in accordance with afirst preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are another type of view of a part of the retail store.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are the other type of view of another part of the retailstore.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are enlarged views of some products shown in FIGS.3A and 3B.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views of the kiosk for dispensing cards in thepreferred system.

FIG. 6A is a plan view of one of the customer cards shown in FIGS. 2A,2B, 3A and 3B.

FIG. 6B is a side view of the card shown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6C is an enlarged, partial view of the card shown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a customer card.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of some memory contents of a customer card.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of the exterior of the kiosk shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the kiosk shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 11 shows some contents of a memory shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing a processing performed by the kiosk.

FIG. 13 is another flow chart showing a step of the processing shown inFIG. 12 in more detail.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of each checkout station in the preferredsystem.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of a processing performed by each checkoutcounter in the preferred system.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing a processing performed by each customercard in the preferred system.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart of a coupon-dispensing processing performed byeach product station in the preferred system.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing data structures for storing product imagedata in the card-dispensing kiosk.

FIG. 19 shows an icon, shown in FIG. 9, in more detail.

The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and which constitutea part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the inventionand, together with the description, explain the principles of theinvention, and additional advantages thereof. Throughout the drawings,corresponding elements are labeled with corresponding reference numbers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a store 1000 including roof structure 1017 andcard-dispensing kiosk 1700 under roof structure 1017, in accordance withthe preferred embodiment of the present invention. Roof structure 1017includes roof section 1010, window 1015 coupled to roof section 1010,and roof section 1005 coupled to window 1015. Store 1000 also includesproducts 35 and checkout area 37 with cash register 918, under roofstructure 1017.

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are each a partial view of store 1000. Customers210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 270, 280, and 290, shop in store 1000. Kiosk1700 dispenses a respective portable customer card to each of thesecustomers. Store 1000 has a plurality of product areas, eachcorresponding to a respective product. Product Area 110 has Acme brandammonia. Product Area 120 has Old World brand pasta. Product Area 130has Lighthouse brand light bulbs. Some of the product areas have arespective station for reading a customer card, described in more detailbelow. Product Area 110 has Station 115. Product Area 120 has Station125. Product Area 130 has Station 135.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show another part of store 1000, including checkoutstations 900, 901, and 902. Each checkout station includes a bar codereader that detects an optical (electromagnetic) signal reflected from aUPC product symbol. Each checkout station also includes a card interfaceslot 914.

While shopping in store 1000, each of customers 210, 220, 230, 240, 250,270, 280, and 290 carries card dispensed by card-dispensing kiosk 1700.Customer 210 carries card 215, customer 220 carries card 225, customer230 carries card 235, customer 240 carries card 245, customer 250carries card 255, customer 270 carries card 275, customer 280 carriescard 285, and customer 290 carries card 295. Each customer tows ashopping cart to hold selected products. Customer 210 tows cart 212,customer 220 tows cart 222, customer 230 tow cart 232, customer 240 towscart 242, customer 250 tows cart 252, customer 270 tows cart 272,customer 280 tows cart 282, and customer 290 tows care 292. To create anelectronic coupon, the customer inserts the card into an interface slotof the product station adjacent to a product the customer wishes topurchase, and the product station then writes an electronic coupon ontothe card. In other words, the product station writes an electroniccoupon into a memory on the card, in response to a person presenting thecard at the product station. The customer then removes the product fromthe shelf and places the removed product into her cart. The customerthus shops throughout the store collecting electronic coupons forproducts of interest.

Thus, each product station is a device, spatially removed from kiosk1700, for writing a coupon signal into the RAM of a customer card.

Upon completion of shopping, the customer brings selected products fromthe shelves to checkout counter 900, 901, or 902. The customer redeemsthe electronic coupons by inserting her customer card into cardinterface 915. For example, a customer such as customer 290 in FIG. 3Acompletes the purchase of her selected products 293 by transferringproducts 293 from her cart 292 to counter 900, and by inserting card 295into card interface slot 914. Subsequently, a checkout clerk (not shown)scans each selected product past bar code reader 910.

Similarly, customer 390 in FIG. 3A will complete the purchase of herselected products 393 by transferring products 393 from her cart 392 tostation 901, and by inserting card 395 into interface slot 914 ofstation 901; and the checkout clerk (not shown) will scan each selectedproduct 393 past UPC bar code reader 910. Customer 490 in FIG. 3B willcomplete the purchase of his selected products 493 by transferringproducts 493 from his cart 422 to station 902, and by inserting card 495into interface slot 914 of station 902; and the checkout clerk (notshown) will scan each selected product 493 past UPC bar code reader 910of station 902.

The products and UPC product symbols in store 1000 will now be describedin further detail.

Product area 110 has bottles of ammonia 112 contiguously groupedtogether on multiple shelves. Bottles of ammonia 112 are contiguouslygrouped, meaning that no other product is between any two bottles ofammonia 112. FIG. 4A shows an enlarged view of some of the bottles ofammonia 112. Each bottle of ammonia has a common Universal Product Code(UPC) symbol 114. Symbol 114 encodes a 12-digit number that is part of aproduct identification system documented by the Uniform Code Council,Inc., Dayton, Ohio. In UPC Product Code format, the first digit is a 0,designating a product. The next five digits are a manufacturer ID. Thenext 5 digits are an item number. The last digit is a check digit.

Each UPC symbol 114 is a group of parallel lines that encodes a number(0 17075 00003 3) that uniquely identifies acme ammonia. In other words,symbol 114 is different from UPC symbols of units of other products.Each bottle of ammonia 112 also has a common character label 113 thatverbally describes the product. Character label 113 is "ACME AMMONIA."Label 113 is different from labels of units of other products.

Product Area 120 has boxes of pasta 122 contiguously grouped together onmultiple shelves. FIG. 4B shows an enlarged view of some of the boxes ofpasta 122. Each box of pasta 122 has a common UPC symbol 124, which is agroup of parallel lines that encodes a number (0 17031 00005 3) thatuniquely identifies Old World pasta. In other words, symbol 124 isdifferent from UPC symbols of units of other products. Each box of pasta122 also has a common character label 123 that verbally describes theproduct. Character label 123 is "OLD WORLD PASTA." Label 123 isdifferent from labels of units of other products.

Product Area 130 has boxes of light bulbs 132 grouped together onmultiple shelves. FIG. 4C shows an enlarged view of some of the boxes oflight bulbs 132. Each box of light bulbs 132 has a common UPC symbol134, which is a group of parallel lines that encode a number (0 1705401017 6) that uniquely identifies Lighthouse light bulbs. In otherwords, symbol 134 is different from UPC symbols of other products. Eachbox 132 also has a common character label 133 that verbally describesthe product. Character label 133 is "LIGHTHOUSE LIGHT BULBS." Label 133is different from labels of other products.

Similarly, other product areas in store 1000 each have a set ofrespective products contiguously grouped together. Respective units of acertain product have a common UPC symbol, different from UPC symbols onunits of other products, that uniquely identifies the certain product.Respective units of a certain product have a common label, differentfrom labels on units of other products, that uniquely identifies thecertain product. Product area 140 has bottles of ketchup 142contiguously grouped together, and product station 145 adjacent to thebottles of ketchup 142. Product area 160 has loaves of bread 162contiguously grouped together, and product station 165 adjacent toloaves of bread 162. Product area 170 has cartons of milk 172contiguously grouped together, and product station 175 adjacent tocartons of milk 172. Product area 180 has packages of bacon 182, andproduct station 185 adjacent to packages of bacon 182. Product area of190 has packages of butter 192 contiguously grouped together and productstation 195 adjacent to packages of butter 192.

Product area 150 has boxes of cereal 152 contiguously grouped together.Product area 150 does not have a product station.

FIGS. 5A shows a front view of the exterior of card-dispensing kiosk1700, and FIG. 5B shows a side cut-away view taken along the line B--Bshown in FIG. 5A. Kiosk 1700 includes a cathode ray tube (CRT) display1717 for displaying coupon selection options to a customer, and analphanumeric keyboard 1730. Keyboard 1730 has a respective key(hand-actuated switch) for each of the letters A-Z and each of thenumerals 0-9. Kiosk 1700 collects information about a customer viakeyboard 1730 or via card reader 1722. After collecting customerdemographic information and the customer's coupon selection options,kiosk 1700 writes the selected electronic coupons onto a customer cardand ejects the customer card through card dispensing slot 1712.

As shown in FIG. 5B, card interface 1715 has a conductive contact 1777for touching card contact 8427 (shown in FIG. 6C) on the customer cardthat is at the top of customer card storage stack 1732. Interface 1715has other contacts (not shown) for touching the other card contacts 8420(shown in FIG. 6C). The operation of station 1700 will be discussed inmore detail below.

After interface 1715 writes electronic coupons to the top card in stack1732, electric motor 1742 moves conveyor belt 1746, via chain 1744, tomove the top card from stack 1732 to dispensing slot 1712.

FIG. 6A shows a plan view of customer card 215 carried by customers 210,and FIG. 6B shows a side view of card 215. Card 215 is 8.5 cm by 5.4 cm,the length and width of a typical financial credit card. Card 215 isslightly thicker than a typical financial credit card. Card 215 includesa magnetic stripe 8410, interface contacts 8420 for communication withthe checkout station, and embossed area 8430 for displaying the cardowner's name. Magnetic stripe 8410 allows a conventional credit cardstripe reader to read basic data from the card. Magnetic stripe 8410 isnot necessary to the operation of the preferred embodiment of theinvention, described in more detail below.

FIG. 6C shows interface contacts 8420 in more detail. Interface contacts8420 are configured in accordance with ISO 7816-2: 1988(E),Identification cards--Integrated circuit (s) cards with contact--Part 2:Dimensions and locations of the contacts, promulgated by theInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO), and available fromthe American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 11 West 42nd Street,New York, N.Y. 10036. According to ISO 7816-2, contact 8421 is assignedto VCC (supply voltage), contact 8422 is assigned to RST (reset signal),contact 8423 is assigned to CLK (clock signal), contact 8424 is reservedfor future use, contact 8425 is assigned to GND (ground), contact 8426is assigned to VPP (program and voltage), contact 8427 is assigned toI/O (data input/output), and contact 8428 is reserved for future use.Card 215 communicates with the checkout stations through contact 8427using a half duplex scheme, meaning that contact 8427 is forcommunicating data signals either to or from the card.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of customer card 215, including centralprocessing unit 8450, processor 8450, and memory 8460. Random accessmemory 8460, includes three addressable segments: nonvolatile read onlymemory (ROM) 8461; nonvolatile, electrically erasable memory (EEPROM)8462; and memory 8463 for temporary storage. Station interface 8425includes a serial to parallel converter for transferring data signalsbetween contact 8427 and CPU 8450 over parallel bus 8452. ROM 8461stores a program 8465 executed by processor 8450. EEPROM 8462 storescustomer identification data 8467, and authorization data 8468. Customeridentification data 8467 includes a sequence of digits that uniquelyidentifies the holder of the card. Customer identification data 8467includes the card holder's social security number. For example,identification data 8467 in customer card 235 uniquely identifiescustomer 230. Authorization data 8468 may include a sequence of digitsthat includes a code identifying the store or stores in which the cardmay be used to obtain a paperless coupon. Authorization data 8468 mayalso include date data indicating an expiration date for the card.Depending on the card holder's contractual relationship with the cardissuer, the card issuer may periodically update this date data to renewthe card when the current date data indicates the card is expired. Storeauthorization data 8468 also contains a field identifying that the cardis a customer card.

EEPROM 8462 also stores product data received from one or more coupondispensing devices. This product data includes a list of productdiscounts 8435. When a customer inserts a customer card into a coupondispensing device, processor 8450 receives a coupon code for the productfrom the device and adds the code to the list.

FIG. 8 some the contents list 8435 starting at offset 30 of EEPROM 8462of customer card 215. An electronic coupon is a 12 digit number in UPCCoupon Code format. In this format, the first digit is a 5, designatinga coupon. The next five digits are a manufacturer ID. The next 3 digitsare a family code. The next 2 digits are a value code. The last digit isa check digit. In FIG. 8, the customer card is storing three electroniccoupons, reflecting the fact that customer 210 has received electroniccoupons from coupon dispensing devices. In list 8435, the memory fieldhaving the number 5 17031 268 45 8 corresponds to a coupon for purchaseof a box of Old World Pasta 124. The memory field having the number 517054 235 76 5 corresponds to a coupon for purchase of a box ofLighthouse Light Bulbs 134. The memory field having the number 5 17075278 30 7 corresponds to a coupon for purchase of bottle of ammoniabottles 112.

Each of the customer cards has the same hardware structure as customercard 215.

FIG. 9 shows a part of card-dispensing kiosk 1700 in more detail. Kiosk1700 displays icons 1702, 1704, 1705, 1706, 1707, 1708, 1709, 1710,1711, and 1712 representing products for which coupons are beingoffered. Some of the icons, such as icon 1704 representing old worldpasta, are an image of the represented product. A customer selects acoupon by touching the icon with her finger, causing a light beam fromlight source 1734 to be interrupted and the interruption detected by Ycoordinate detector array 1737, and causing a light beam from lightsource 1735 to be interrupted and the interruption detected by Xcoordinate detector array 1739. Thus, kiosk 1700 detects couponselections by the customer.

Scroll buttons 1709 and 1711 allow the user to cause icons for otherproducts to be displayed. DONE button 1731 allows the user to completethe coupon dispensing session.

In addition to collecting customer information via keyboard 1730, kiosk1700 may also collect customer identification and customer demographicdata from a card already held by a customer, via interface slot 1722.Interface slot 1722 has a width sufficient to accommodate the width ofone of the customer cards. When a customer card is in interface slot1722, conductive contact 1716 inside interface slot 1722 touches contact8427 (shown in FIG. 6C) on a customer card. Interface slot 1722 hasother contacts (not shown) for touching the other card contacts 8420(shown in FIG. 6C).

The preferred system and method will now be described in more detail.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of display kiosk 1700 shown in FIGS. 1, 2A,5A, and 5B. Magnetic disk drive 1725 provides storage of programs and ofproduct coupon data. Optical disk drive 1735 contains a CD-ROM (CompactDisk-Read Only Memory) disk that stores product image data. The contentsof CD-ROM 1737 tend to remain current for at least several months, sincethe packaging of a product corresponding to a certain UPC code tends toremain constant over time. Preferably, CD-ROM 1737 can be obtained froma national supplier.

CRT display 1717 is 1024 pixel rows by 1280 pixel columns. Video ram1735 has 1024×1280 locations, a location for each pixel on display 1717.CRT controller 1737 has circuitry to read video ram 1735 to generate andsend signals to CRT 1717. Thus, the address of a pixel in video ram 1735determines the location of the pixel on display 1717.

CPU 1750 executes program 1722, in random access, addressable memory1720, to display coupon-related information. CPU 1750 displays theinformation on CRT display 1717, by writing pixel data into video RAM1735. CRT controller 1737 reads the pixel data from RAM 1737 to sendvideo signals to CRT 1717.

Keyboard 1730 has a respective key (hand-actuated switch) for each ofthe letters A-Z and each of the numerals 0-9, for generating a customercharacterization signal.

Card interface 1751 has a conductive contact 1716 for receiving acustomer characterization signal from contact 8427 (shown in FIG. 6C) ona customer card in slot 1722. Interface 1751 has other contacts (notshown) for touching the other card contacts 8420 on the customer card inslot 1722 (shown in FIG. 6C).

Card interface 1715 has a conductive contact 1777 for sending thecustomer characterization signal, from keyboard 1730 or interface 1751,to contact 8427 (shown in FIG. 6C) on the customer card that is at thetop of customer card storage stack 1732. Interface 1715 has othercontacts (not shown) for touching the other card contacts 8420 (shown inFIG. 6C).

Thus, kiosk 1700 includes a card-storage stack 1732 for storing aplurality of portable cards 1733 each having a memory. Interface 1715includes circuitry for writing a coupon signal into the memory of a cardin the plurality of cards, the coupon signal corresponding to a productin store 1000. Subsequently, a motor 1742 acts to eject the card fromkiosk 1700. A checkout station has circuitry for reading coupon signalsfrom the memory of the card, in response to a person presenting the cardat interface slot 914 during checkout. UPC reader 910 acts to detect aUPC product signal identifying a product. Checkout station 900 acts todetermine a price depending on whether the UPC product signalcorresponds to one of the coupon signals read from the card.

FIG. 11 shows a table 1772 compiled by kiosk 1700. Each row in table 2represents a customer. The left column in table 2 is respective customeridentification data 8467 from customer cards dispensed by kiosk 1700.The other columns in table 1772 are data characterizing a customer.Processor 1750 writes the other columns in response to a signal receivedfrom keyboard 1730. For example, the customer holding the card with ID 3was born on Mar. 12, 1932, has an income of 30,100, a household size of2, and no children in the household. Thus, if the data characterizingeach customer is considered a first signal, and the corresponding cardID is considered a second signal, table 1772, in memory 1720, isessentially a signal that stores an association between the first signaland the second signal.

FIG. 12 shows a processing performed in the preferred system. CPU 1750,executing program 1772, receives customer identification and demographicinformation, via keyboard 1730 or interface slot 1722. CPU 1750 queriesthe customer with questions to collect demographic signals, includingbirth date of card-holder, income level, past buying patterns,geographic location, size of household, number of children in household,level of education, and job-related data. CPU 1750 receives thesedemographic signals from keyboard 1730 and writes these signals intotable 1772 in memory 1720. (Step 10).

CPU 1750 receives customer coupon selection information, by receivingsignals from Y coordinate detector array 1737 and X coordinate detectorarray 1739. (Step 20).

CPU 1750 allows the user to create customer ID data 8467 by entering asocial security number via keyboard 1730. CPU 1750 writes the customerID data 8467 of the top card in card storage stack 1732. In other words,CPU 1750 sends a respective identification signal to the top card instorage stack 1732.

CPU 1750 creates a record in table 1772, by storing the customer ID data8467 in association with the customer characterization information intable 1772. (Step 30). Card interface 1715 writes the selected couponsonto the top card in card stack 1732. (Step 40). In other words, CPU1750 and detector arrays 1737 and 1739 act to select a plurality ofproducts by detecting a selection of locations on CRT display 1717, andCPU 1750 and contact interface 1715 act to send a plurality of couponsignals to RAM 8460 of the top card in stack 1732.

CPU 1750 sends a signal to electric motor 1742 to cause motor 1742 tomove conveyor 1746, thereby propelling the top card from stack 1732 todispensing slot 1712. (Step 50).

The customer may then shop through the store by selecting certainproducts (Step 55) and redeeming electronic coupons at a checkoutstation. (Step 65). The user may also load additional coupons onto hercard by inserting the card in a coupon dispensing unit, such as productstation 165. (Step 75). The customer may then repeat steps 55, 65, and75.

FIG. 13 shows the processing of step 20 of FIG. 12, receiving customercoupon selections, in more detail. CPU 1750, executing program 1722,reads signals data from disk 1725 and CD-ROM drive 1735, to displaycoupon icons on CRT 1717. (Step 10). CPU 1750 detects whether the userhas touched a portion of CRT 1717, by reading signals from detectorarrays 1737 and 1739. (Step 15). If the touched coordinates match thespacial location of one of the icons displayed on CRT 1717 (Step 20),CPU 1750 stores the corresponding coupon in temporary coupon list 1770.(Step 25). If the coordinates instead match one of the scroll icons 1709or 1711 (Step 30), CPU 1750 reads additional signals from disk 1725 andCD-ROM drive 1735, to display additional icons on CRT 1717. (Step 35).If the user touches the DONE icon (step 40), the processing of FIG. 13terminates.

Each of customers 210, 220, 240, 250, 270, 280, and 290 obtained arespective customer card in a similar manner. Kiosk 1700 subsequentlysends table 1772, shown in FIG. 11, to a marketing research center thatstores the contents of table 1772 on disk.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of checkout counter 900. Disk 925 provideslong term storage. CPU 950 executes instructions in random access,addressable memory 920.

CPU 950 and program 922 act to detect a product scanned by UPC reader910, determine a reference price for the product, and deduct a discountfrom the reference price if the product has a corresponding coupon inthe customer card memory. CPU 950 then displays the price of the producton display 917. CPU 950 writes coupon redemption data onto disk 925.Periodically, CPU 950 sends marketing redemption data, includingcustomer ID data 8467, to a market research center through modem 930.Periodically, CPU 950 also sends clearing house redemption data to aclearing house through modem 930.

FIG. 15 shows step 65 of FIG. 12 in more detail. FIG. 15 shows aprocessing performed by CPU 950 and program 922 in checkout counter 900,when a customer checks out of store 1000. When a customer, such ascustomer 290, inserts customer card 295 into interface slot 914, aswitch (not shown) in interface slot 914 alerts CPU 950 that a card hasbeen inserted into the slot. When a customer card is in interface slot914, conductive contacts (not shown) inside interface slot 914 toucheach card contact 8420, thereby applying power from the interface to thecard. Subsequently, CPU 950 causes card interface 925 to reset the cardby applying a clock signal to card contact 8423. (If the card is acustomer card, the card then answers the reset by sending a block ofdata, including identification data 8467 and authorization data 8468,through card contact 8427.) CPU 950 then receives the answer-to-resetfrom the card (step 2). CPU 950 then sends a data block containing astation-type code indicating a checkout station (step 4). CPU 950 thenreceives the contents of table 8435 in EEPROM 8462 of the customer card,and temporarily stores these table contents in memory 920 of thecheckout station (step 5). During step 10005, CPU 950 also causescustomer card 295 to remove all entries from list 8435, so that theelectronic coupons in the list cannot be redeemed again. When thecheckout clerk (not shown) moves a product past UPC reader 910, UPCreader 910 detects the UPC code on the product and sends the UPC code toCPU 950 (step 10).

CPU 950 determines whether the product has a corresponding coupon in thereceived table. (step 20). In step 20, product corresponds to a couponif the five-digit manufacturer ID in the UPC coupon code equals thefive-digit manufacturer ID in the UPC coupon code, and the three-digitcoupon family code for the product corresponds to the three-digit familycode of the coupon. These two family codes correspond if they are equalor if the coupon family code is a summary code that matches certaindigits of the products' coupon family code, as described more fully inthe UPC coupon code guidelines manual, reprinted Octember 1994, from theUniform Code Council, Inc., Dayton, Ohio.

If the product corresponds to a coupon, CPU 950 subtracts the discount,as determined by the discount data stored in the received table, from aproduct reference price read from disk 925 (step 30), and displays theresulting price of the product on display 917 (step 40).

In summary, after UPC barcode reader 910 scans a product, processor 950determines eligibility for a discount. If a product qualifies, processor950 displays the discounted price on display 917.

FIG. 16 shows a processing performed by one of the customer cards, suchas customer card 215, in the preferred retail system. After the card isreset through contacts 8420, the customer card sends an "answer toreset" data block in accordance with the ISO standard ISO/ICE 7816-3:1989(E), cited above. The customer card sends identification data 8467and authorization data 8468 in the answer-to-reset data block (step 10).If the station then sends a block of data to the customer card, thecustomer card then receives the block of data through contact 8427 (step15). If the block contains a station-type code indicating a productstation (step 20), the customer card then adds product couponinformation, from a certain location in the block, to the list 2345(step 30).

If the customer card is not eligible, the station will not send a blockof data, step 19015 therefore does not execute, and processing ceasesuntil the customer card is reinserted into a station, at which time thestation will reset the card and processing will restart at step 19010.

Alternatively, if the block contains a station-type code indicating aCheckout station (step 90), the customer card then sends list 2345 tothe display kiosk (step 10). In other words, CPU 8450 reads list 8435from EEPROM 8462, in response to a customer inserting card 215 intocheckout station 915, and sends a signal corresponding to the list 2345to the checkout station (step 100).

The communication protocol with a customer card is described in moredetail in ISO/IEC 7816-3: 1989 (E), Identification cards--Integratedcircuit(s) cards with contacts--Part 3: Electronic signals andtransmission protocols; and ISO/IEC 7816-3: 1989/Amd.1: 1992 (E), Part3: Electronic signals and transmission protocols, AMENDMENT 1: Protocoltype T=1, synchronous half duplex block transmission protocol. Both ofthese standards are promulgated by the International Organization forStandardization (ISO) and distributed by the American National StandardsInstitute (ANSI).

FIG. 17 shows aspects of step 75 of FIG. 12 in more detail. FIG. 17shows a processing performed by a processor and program in each productstation. When a person inserts a card into an interface slot in theproduct station, conductive contacts (not shown) inside the interfaceslot touch each card contact 8420, thereby applying power from theproduct station to the card. A switch (not shown) alerts the processorthat a card has been inserted into the slot. Subsequently, the processorresets the card by applying a clock signal to contact 8423. (If the cardis a customer card, the card then answers the reset by sending a blockof data, including identification data 8467 and authorization data 8468,through card contact 8427. Authorization data 8468 contains a card-typecode indicating a customer card. The processor then receives theanswer-to-reset data block from the card (step 10).

The product station processor analyzes the authorization data in thereceived answer-to-reset block to determine whether the card is acustomer card that is eligible to receive paperless coupons in store1000 (step 20). The processor determines that the card is a customercard if the received authorization data contains a card-type codeindicating a customer card. If the card is a customer card, meaning thatthe authorization data is authorization data 2468, the processordetermines if the card is eligible to receive paperless coupons in store1000 if authorization data 2468 contains a store code indicating store1000, and the current time and date (as indicated by a date-time clockinside the processor) is not later than the date data in authorizationdata 2468. If the card is an eligible customer card, the processor sendsto the customer card a block containing a station-type code indicating aproduct station, and product coupon data from a memory in the productstation (step 40). This coupon data is in the format described above inconnection with FIG. 8. The processor then turns on a green light (notshown) on the product station to indicate to the customer that anelectronic coupon has successfully been transferred to her customer card(step 60), thereby allowing the customer to conveniently verify whethershe is eligible for a discount before selecting the product.

Additional features for a product station are described in Applicant'scopending U.S. patent application of KEN R. POWELL for RETAIL SYSTEM,Ser. No. 08/468,816, filed Jun. 6, 1995, the contents of which is hereinincorporated by reference.

FIG. 18 shows some data structures normally residing on CD-ROM 1737.Structure 11100 includes UPC table 11110. Each entry in table 11110includes a pointer to video data 11120 for the product corresponding tothe entry. Video data 11120 is a group of records each containing pixeldata for a respective product. CPU 1750 uses the pointer to access aselected record of pixel data 11120.

During processing by CPU 1750, various parts of data structure 11100 maybe automatically brought into memory 1720 with a virtual memory mapping,as is well known in the art.

Thus, memory 1720 and optical disk drive 1735, together act to storeproduct image signals.

FIG. 19 shows icon 1704 of FIG. 9 in more detail. The image shown inFIG. 19 is a reflection of pixel data 11120 depicted in FIG. 18.

After coupon redemption data, including customer identification datafrom a plurality of cards, is compiled and sent to a marketing researchcenter the research center uses the customer identification data toaccess the corresponding demographic data, thereby providingmanufacturers with marketing data on coupon program effectiveness andcustomer demographics. An example of such marketing data processing isdescribed in Applicant's copending U.S. patent application of KEN R.POWELL for RETAIL SYSTEM, Ser. No. 08/468,816, filed Jun. 6, 1995, thecontents of which is herein incorporated by reference. A computernetwork for sending data to a market research center is described inApplicant's copending U.S. patent application of KEN R. POWELL forCOMPUTER NETWORK FOR A RETAIL SYSTEM, Ser. No. 08/799,688, filed Feb.11, 1997, the contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.

Another kiosk for displaying product information is described incopending application of KEN R. POWELL for SYSTEM AND METHOD FORDISPLAYING PRODUCT INFORMATION IN A RETAIL SYSTEM, Ser. No. 08/603,483filed on Feb. 20, 1996, the contents of which is herein incorporated byreference.

Although the illustrated systems employ the UPC coupon code format,other formats maybe accommodated, such as the UCC/EAN-128 couponextended code, documented in the UPC coupon code guidelines manual,reprinted, Octember 1994, from the Uniform Code Council, Inc., Dayton,Ohio.

Although the illustrated cards have been shown with a relatively simplememory organization, more involved memory organizations are possible,allowing a single card to function in other applications in addition tofunctioning in an embodiment of the invention.

Although the illustrated kiosk writes a respective card identifier(customer ID data 8467) onto each card before ejecting the card, theblank cards in card storage stack 1732 may come with a card identifieralready written onto the card. In this alternative configuration, beforethe kiosk ejects the card, the kiosk would read this pre-written cardidentifier and store this identifier in association with datacharacterizing the customer. In this alternative configuration, the datacharacterizing the customer could include the customer's social securitynumber, or some other data allowing the customer data compiled by kiosk1700 to be associated with data in other databases exterior to kiosk1700.

Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is thereforenot limited to the specific details, representative apparatus, andillustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures maybe made from such details without departing from the spirit or the scopeof Applicants' general inventive concept. The invention is defined inthe following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising:plurality of products; akiosk includinga card holder for concurrently holding a plurality ofportable cards each having a random access memory (RAM), a receiver thatreceives a first signal characterizing a customer, a mechanism forejecting a first card from the kiosk, the first card storing arespective second signal, and a memory that stores an associationbetween the first signal and the second signal; and a checkout areaincludinga card reader that receives a plurality of third signals fromthe RAM of the first card, each third signal corresponding to a product,a product detector that receives a fourth signal corresponding to aproduct, and a price determiner that determines a price depending onwhether the fourth signal corresponds to one of the received thirdsignals,wherein the kiosk further includes a writer that writes one ofthe third signals into the RAM of the first card, and the system furtherincludes a second writer that writes one of the third signals into theRAM of a card ejected from the kiosk, the second writer being removedfrom the kiosk.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the receiver includes akeyboard.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the receiver includes aninterface for receiving the first signal from another card.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the kiosk further includes a sender that sendsthe respective second signal to the first card.
 5. In a system includinga plurality of products, a kiosk, and a checkout area, a method ofoperating the system comprising the steps, performed in the kiosk,ofconcurrently holding a plurality of cards each having a random accessmemory (RAM), receiving a first signal characterizing a customer;ejecting a card in the plurality of cards from the kiosk, the ejectedcard storing a respective second signal; and storing an associationbetween the first signal and the second signal, and the steps, performedin the checkout area, of:receiving a plurality of third signals from theRAM of the ejected card, each third signal corresponding to a product;receiving a fourth signal corresponding to a product; and determining aprice depending on whether the fourth signal corresponds to one of thereceived third signals,wherein the method further includes the step,performed in the kiosk, of writing one of the third signals into the RAMof the card, and the step, performed outside of the kiosk, of writingone of the third signals into the RAM of a card ejected from the kiosk.6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of receiving a first signalincludes receiving the first signal from a keyboard.
 7. The method ofclaim 5 wherein the step of receiving a first signal includes receivingthe first signal from another card.
 8. The method of claim 5 furtherincluding the step, performed in the kiosk, of sending the respectivesecond signal to the card.